Biography Le Concert d’Astrée

Le Concert d’Astrée is a vocal and instrumental ensemble directed by Emmanuelle Haïm and devoted to the baroque repertoire. Today it is one of the leading exponents of this repertoire in the world. Founded by Emmanuelle Haïm in 2000, it brings together accomplished instrumentalists who share Haïm’s expressive and natural musical temperament and vision. Le Concert d’Astrée rapidly gained international recognition. In 2003, the ensemble was awarded the Victoire de la Musique Classique for the ensemble of the year; in 2008, it was awarded the Alte Musik Ensemble of the year at the Echo Deutscher Musikpreis in Germany.

For the WarnerClassics/Erato label, Le Concert d’Astrée has recorded the work of many composers from Monteverdi to Mozart. These award-winning recordings have won both critical and popular acclaim. In the autumn of 2014, the DVD of Hippolyte et Aricie and a recording of Handel’s Messiah appeared and will be followed in 2015 by the DVD of La Finta Giardiniera.

In May 2014 with concerts in Cremona, Hong Kong and Dijon Le Concert d’Astrée launched Rameau Year. In 2014/2015, the ensemble starred in Castor et Pollux at the Dijon Opera Dijon and later at the Lille Opera in a production directed by Barrie Kosky; they also participated in several events devoted to the music of Rameau, both in the composer’s hometown and in Lille and Hardelot. These cities form part of the territory of Le Nord where the ensemble continues to cultivate its local roots. Then the ensemble headed for Monaco, Aix en Provence, Paris, Lucerne, Pamplune, Barcelona, before finally reaching New York where, in November 2014, they produced a programme of the most beautiful airs from Handel’s Giulio Cesare with Natalie Dessay and Christophe Dumaux. They continued on their merry way in January and February 2015 with a performance of Idomeno by Mozart at the Lille Opera with Le Concert d’Astrée’s choir/chorus in a production directed by Jean- Yves Ruf; the 2014/2015 season concluded with a programme of Court Airs, cantatas and instrumental pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm with the mezzo soprano Magdalena Kozena, thus marking the ensemble’s first steps in Turkey and the Czech Republic.

In 2015/2016, Le Concert d’Astrée performed three new opera productions under the direction of Emmanuelle Haïm; a re-creation of Xerse by Cavalli and Lully in Lille, Caen and Vienna; Mitridate by Mozart in Paris and Dijon and Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. On tour they gave a special concert project entitled Monstres, sorcières et magiciens; Patricia Petibon and Christopher Purves performed music by Handel and Purcell, and Anne Sofie von Otter and Laurent Naouri performed music by Rameau, Lully and Charpentier. These performances took place throughout Europe, including Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), Teater an der Wien (Vienna) and the Philharmonie (Berlin).

On tour, two projects will bring the ensemble all over Europe: Mozart’s Gran Partita (Aix-en-Provence, Wigmore Hall, Zurich Tonhalle…) before a new project with Magdalena Kozena, one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, in a French program.

Mécénat Musical Société Générale is the principal corporate sponsor of Le Concert d’Astrée.
Ensemble-in-residence at the Opéra de Lille, Le Concert d’Astrée receives support from the City of Lille.
Le Concert d’Astrée receives support from the Ministry of Culture and Communication/DRAC du Nord – Pas-de-Calais Picardie
Since 2012, Le Concert d’Astrée, supported by the Departement du Nord, has served as Ambassadeur de l’Excellence du Nord in France as well as abroad.